3 takeaways from latest James Harden rumors
3. The Philadelphia 76ers must be creative for free agency.
One of the most talked-about storylines for the Philadelphia 76ers this offseason has been how the team is going to add suitable reinforcements to the bench. Between Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, and of course James Harden, the Sixers aren’t exactly flush with cash, but there are still ways for the team to open up further salary for free agents, as long as the team is willing to be a bit creative that is.
Assuming James Harden does, in fact, opt-in for the 22-23 season and that the team does pick up the $1.9 million club option for Shake Milton, Philadelphia currently sits roughly $4.4 million in the luxury tax. This would allot them the nearly $6.4 million tax-payer MLE, which would allow them to sign a player up to that amount while over the cap. Should Philadelphia find a way to clear about $4.5 million, they would be able to utilize the $10.3 million non-tax-payer MLE instead. This is where they would need to get creative.
Either by waiving Danny Green, trading away Furkan Korkmaz (without salary in return), or trade a group of role players without equal salary in return ($4.5 million saved is optimal), the 76ers would have accomplished their task. Neither of those solutions is particularly ideal as the moral implications of waiving an injured player like Green weigh heavily, and despite his shaky play last season, the Sixers wouldn’t be interested in losing Korkmaz without any return. But, by trading, a combination of players and receiving a return that accounts for at least $4.5 million less on the cap could be a way for the team to accomplish that goal in style.
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Now, the non-taxpayer MLE is not without its downsides as. If the Sixers do fully utilize it, they would be hard-capped at the tax apron, meaning that they could not enter into the luxury tax at any point of the entire season. It’s a calculated risk that Daryl Morey is paid to, well calculate, and it could prove to be the difference between signing a Taurean Prince or an Otto Porter Jr. level player.